Elvis Duran Debuts on Mix 102.5 Next Week

UTICA/ROME — There’s a new (but famililar, for some listeners) morning show coming to the Mohawk Valley. Starting Monday, the syndicated “Elvis Duran and the Morning Show” will be carried by hot AC Mix 102.5 (WUMX), weekdays from 6-10am. Duran’s show, based in New York City, is already carried in more than 40 markets nationwide, including Syracuse.

Galaxy Communications VP/Programming Mimi Griswold describes the new show as “a party on the radio,” and mentions that Duran “doesn’t just talk about celebrities, he actually has them in the studio on the air with him.” In addition to celebrity interviews and gossip, Duran and his crew discuss the latest fashion trends, pop culture news, hit songs. The show is also well-known for its “phone tap” segments, helping listeners pull pranks on friends and loved ones.

Listeners in the western half of the Utica-Rome market may already be familiar with Duran’s show, as Syracuse’s Hot 107.9 (WWHT), a Duran affiliate since 2010, covers western Oneida County just as well as any in-market signal. But with WWHT’s signal rapidly declining in the short drive eastward from Rome to Utica, the Duran show will be new to most of the market’s population.

Usually, the addition of syndicated content means the loss of a local job, but that’s not the case here: since the previous Mix 102.5 morning host exited in 2008, the job has been handled by “Big Mike” Fiss, who added the Utica show to his existing duties hosting mornings for Syracuse’s classic hits Sunny 102.1 (WZUN). Duran’s arrival will relieve Fiss of the delicate balancing act of watching two music logs and flipping his mic back and forth between the two stations, as he’ll now be able to return his attention entirely to Syracuse.

“Elvis Duran and the Morning Show” originates from Clear Channel’s Z100 in New York City and is syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks. The addition of Mix 102.5 will make it possible for road-tripping Duran fans to find the show in various places on the FM dial all the way from Rochester to Albany.